Monterey Park's golf course prepping for improvements

Now under new management, the 40-year-old Monterey Park Golf Course could begin at least $900,000 in upgrades as early as August.

Monterey Park began renting the land at 3600 W. Ramona Blvd. in 1970 and has recently transferred the nine-hole par 29 course to its third operator.

The changeover began on June 26, said John Kang, the new manager working under the umbrella of MP Monterey Park Golf LLC.

"Construction and renovation will take place, hopefully, in August, and it will happen for about the next three to four months," Kang said. "We're completely renovating the clubhouse and driving range. We're improving and redesigning the course."

Although the City Council didn't specify what changes had to be made, the 20-year contract did require $900,000 in upgrades within the first 12 months of the hand-over.

"We're really excited that someone was interested in continuing the tradition of the Monterey Park Golf Course," Mayor Teresa Real Sebastian said. "It'll continue that revenue stream, which is a definite plus, especially in this economic environment."

Depending on what is greater, MP Golf will pay the city a percentage of its revenue or $100,000 in rent annually. Expectations are the city will increase its coffers by at least $50,000 each year.

Regular golfers at the Monterey Park Golf Course should not worry, Kang said, because its main attractions will not change.

"The previous owner, the way he ran it, I don't think there was a lot of investment in the course itself," Kang said. "The condition throughout the course is pretty bad. A golf course should look more green. Right now we have brown spots everywhere."

John Ito, 62, said he golfs at the Monterey Park Golf Course about twice a week, partially because he gets free games because he has worked there for five years. The course was "fair" under the old ownership, he said.

"The green sometimes has brown spots like fungus, and its kind of bumpy," he said. "I'm kind of excited to see how it changes. The course will be more challenging."

In addition to improving the grass, the owners of MP Golf will update aging buildings, create more bunkers or sand traps, and add an automated ball-teeing system for the driving range.

The system separates the Monterey Park Golf Course from most of its competitors, said Richie Waldron, a golf enthusiast with a blog for rating golf courses. Aside from Aroma Golf Range in Koreatown, Waldron said he hasn't encountered one of those in the more than 30 courses he has golfed on.

After playing on the Monterey Park Golf Course four times, he gave it an "above average" grade "for a municipal golf course." But the management wasn't up to par, he said.

"Some (public) courses are tightly managed," said Waldron, from Studio City, who was critical of the level of player oversight on the Monterey Park course.

Yet, he said the course has its perks.

"Hole 3 is very highly elevated. That's one of the best holes I've played in the whole of L.A.," Waldron said. "If they just managed it a little better with smaller groups, I think it'd be a lot better," he said, citing golf-starters who he said allow groups of six or seven players when the maximum per group is usually four.

The new management is also trying to make its business one of the best pro golf shops in Los Angeles County, Kang said. It plans to extend the clubhouse to make more room to bring in up-to-date equipment from vendors such as Taylor Made, Cobra and Ping.

"The stuff they used to have is all really old clubs from three to four years ago," Kang said.

Kang is optimistic about the course's future.

"Our company has a pretty good background as an investment company," Kang said. "The reason we are going into this is not for the business itself but for the love of golf. I'm sure this change is for the better."